The following background discussion includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
There are numerous animal deterring devices known in the art, many of which use electric current to deter, and in some cases even kill, birds and other relatively small animals. For example, where a relatively large structure is to be protected, a blanket can be configured to include a plurality of vertically arranged and spaced apart electrodes as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,748.
Other known electrified devices include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,176, EPO Patent No. 1314355, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,353, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,698, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0132635, U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,064, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,768. However, all of the devices described in the above references are not aesthetically pleasing and can create eyesores when installed. Because of this, the locations where the deterrents can be installed are limited.
Interestingly, known solutions merely provide a selection of opaque bases in a few different colors in an attempt to blend the devices in with the surrounding environment. It has yet to be appreciated that electrified deterrent devices can be produced having a transparent or translucent base, such that the deterrent devices can effectively blend in to the surrounding environment.
Thus, while various electrical bird deterrents are known in the art, there is still a need for electrical deterrent devices having a translucent body.